I hope that people reading this forum won't get the idea that taping your mouth shut is somehow a remedy for mouth-leaking that's on par with chinstraps and full face masks. Chinstraps allow you to open your mouth. Full face masks have anti-asphixiation valves.

Taping your mouth shut could cause you to suffocate if the CPAP machine shuts down due to a power failure or some other malfunction. Vomiting with your mouth taped shut could cause you to choke on your own vomit and die.

There's a good reason why you'll never hear of it being condoned anywhere by professionals.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

Really good one, JJJ!
But on a more serious note, zonk, I have been a mouth breather since childhood. Even so, I used a nasal mask for my first five years on CPAP after being told after titration that I would learn to keep my mouth closed. I finally added a chin strap to try to accomplish that, but the chin strap plus mask headgear proved to be a pain in the head, literally. So, I went to a FFM which solved the mouth breathing problem and got rid of the chin strap, but my nose bridge was getting battered. So, I recently went to the FitLife complete face mask which shows strong indications of being my solution to the mouth breathing and sore nose problems.

Went the ffm route with the Quattro FX and that has virtually eliminated all leaks. I didn't want to combine various contraptions (mask, strap, tape, etc) so went with the full face mask and the Quattro FX has worked out great for me.

As my weight has decreased, I have found the pressure I needed from my xPAP machine has decreased. This has also decreased the possibility of mouth leaks for me.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

I started with nasal pillows, but as I am a pillow smoosher, they were a constant issue due to leakage and due to nasal congestion from allergies. I went to a nosebag and it kept its seal better when smooshing my face into the pillow, but still, I had issues with nasal congestion and mouth breathing. I awoke one night to find my wife gently squeezing my lips closed as the whisting was waking her up. She confessed she had been doing it for several nights and was absolutely bushed from lack of sleep. I tried everything from taping to a PAPCAP with velcro straps but stopped short of wearing underwear on my head as suggested by a fellow CPAP'er. Did not like the feeling of the tape nor even the PAPCAP holding my mouth closed and went to a Quattro full face mask on the recommendation of some board members.... and I have never looked back. I now have five of them and rotate them through the month and then wash the whole sheband with mild, odourless soap and disinfectant made for airway therapy (Control III - cheap). I do the hoses, the masks after disassembly and the humidifer when being used (acutally I do the humidifer about twice a month just to be safe).

Regardless of what you may be told or read, be aware that the gunk from your mouth, nose and general surroundings offer a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria to grow. In a neutral environment without positive airway pressure these are still considered a hazard; with positive airway pressure blowing crap into your airway and lungs these are considered to be a definite hazard (imagine your home has some mold in it somewhere - and think about THAT hazard without positive airway pressure). And while a healthy person may be readily able to fight off the bacterial growth, all it takes is being run down or having your immune system compromised in any way to let these pathogens grow rapidly. And rapidly they WILL grow. I have that T shirt with regards to bacterial pneumonia and a compromised immune system. So, as I always harp on about.... cleanliness is next to godliness.

As a matter of further interest, if there are any dentists on here, I would be interested in confirming something that I heard but have not taken the time to confirm and that is that 'dry mouth' as a result of mouth breathing, diabetes, medications, etc., causes a Ph state that is condusive to bacterial growth and tooth decay. Anyone?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------Educate, Advocate, Contemplate.
Herein lies personal opinion, no professional advice, which ALL are well advised to seek.

Hi All, first post here. I tend to be more of a reader on forums, rather than a poster, unless I feel I really have something to contribute. Which I think applies here.

I was always a mouth breather, and when I started on CPAP I used various nasal pillow systems for a few years along with a chin strap to keep the trap shut. On my dentist's recommendation a couple years ago I began using a dental night guard and discovered that having that in my mouth caused me to plant my tongue against the top of my mouth without needing to think about it. I haven't needed the chin strap since. The night guard I use is the Dentek No-Boil type that I picked up at Wal-mart.

(07-02-2012 10:00 PM)gdl Wrote: Hi All, first post here. I tend to be more of a reader on forums, rather than a poster, unless I feel I really have something to contribute. Which I think applies here.

I was always a mouth breather, and when I started on CPAP I used various nasal pillow systems for a few years along with a chin strap to keep the trap shut. On my dentist's recommendation a couple years ago I began using a dental night guard and discovered that having that in my mouth caused me to plant my tongue against the top of my mouth without needing to think about it. I haven't needed the chin strap since. The night guard I use is the Dentek No-Boil type that I picked up at Wal-mart.

For the record, I don't understand how a chin strap is supposed to keep your mouth shut. It takes so little effort to overcome the elasticity of the strap. If a chin guard works at all, it probably works as a training device, perhaps similar to the dental guard, to make people more aware of their mouth position. Many people, after using a chin guard for a while at the beginning of therapy, find they don't need it for long.

Do you find your dental guard still necessary for your sleep therapy after having used it for a while?

Actually I don't know whether I'd keep my mouth closed without it or not as I simply haven't tried sleeping without it. I have a problem with grinding my teeth and that's what started me on the night guard. One other thing I've noticed though, I'm a side sleeper and before I started using the night guard I'd sometimes wake up in the morning with a sore tongue because gravity would draw it to the side of the mouth and I'd end up chewing on the side of it. I know that wasn't the subject of this thread but thought it may be helpful if someone happens to be having that same issue.

I wear nasal pillow along with a modified "doctors night guard" that has a small tray to place my tongue against the roof of my mouth. This solution works great and practically elimitates mouth leaks. When I do not wear it my median leak rate is something like 50-70 verses 10-20 when I do wear it. I am wondering if simply wearing an un-modified night guard would work just as well.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.